Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium

I had a really great time at this aquarium, and I definitely would come again. There are two main buildings, the building with fish and other attractions like a preserved giant squid and a virtual reality experience, and a building with mammals like manatees and turtles. Once you pay for a ticket, you can enter both of these buildings. I suggest starting at the main building, and when you finish, follow the path marked with paintings of fish, and you can find your way to the mammal building. There's also a bird sanctuary, which is free entry. You can spend a decent amount of time there, so if you don't want to spend any money, it's a great option. This place is great for anyone of any age, and the elevators for accessibility make it a very open experience for anyone of any demographic. I highly recommend this place if you want to learn about marine life or just enjoy your day viewing interesting sea creatures.

We visited from Arizona and this stop did not disappoint. I enjoyed all the exhibits and the educational graphics. The staff were friendly and welcoming. We had a great time and we will definitely be visiting again the next time that we are visiting family in Bradenton. My parents really enjoyed the touch pool and the sea turtles. I enjoyed watching the amphibians.

I’m very happy to know they are moving to newer and nicer / larger building soon! This will be amazing for them since you always have to walk to the building across the street. People are so friendly and so nice, we Love the people working and volunteering here! There was an older gentleman who took the time to explain to us how their giant squid ( found dead and now being preserved ) came to the facility. He was an amazing story telling and so knowledgeable about these creatures! We can’t wait to come back but now to the new facilities!

Super cute little aquarium, I heard they're expanding recently as well? (I went a few years ago). Have a focus on sea turtles and rescue/rehabilitation of them. Can also see dolphins, manatees, a variety of fish and marine life, and a VERY NICE otter exhibit, the otters have a nice waterfall, clear clean water and lots of toys!

Aquarium and marine animal rescue were great. Not crowded on a June afternoon, and docents were terrific. We used our hometown zoo membership to help get a discounted ticket price. We arrived around 3, but wish we had had more time to read about everything and check out the bird rescue, which closed at 4:30, too.

Absolutely amazing experience at Mote Aquarium in Sarasota, Florida! This hidden gem is perfect for families, tourists, and anyone looking for a fun and educational activity in Sarasota. The staff is incredibly friendly and knowledgeable, and the exhibits are beautifully maintained. We loved seeing the local marine life up close—it’s a fantastic way to learn about Florida’s coastal ecosystems. If you’re searching for a Sarasota aquarium or looking for family-friendly things to do in Sarasota, this place should be at the top of your list. It’s clean, interactive, and surprisingly affordable. Highly recommend for both kids and adults!

Grand daughters visited and the Mote was their choice. Their first visit, both teenagers, and they loved it. I've been to aquariums all over the country and Mote is one of the best. It's intimate. Plenty to see. First building impressive, but the girls loved the manatee, otters and turtles in the other facility that is a short walk away. Gift shop has everything. Mote was closed for a while after hurricane damage and the new building is well underway over near I75. Order tickets on line only.

Was hoping to see the new aquarium. However, this one open til July 6th. It is inside and out and allows us to see some amazing sea life. Worth a visit. However, the new place should be awesome. This takes a good 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Does have a café.

Visiting the Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium was easily the best decision during our visit in Sarasota. There is so much sea life to learn and explore between both buildings. The volunteers are very friendly and knowledgeable as well. The first building had many fish and sharks to see. While the second building had manatees, otters, and sea turtles. The aquarium is very well maintained and spacious! This is a great place to visit and learn something new.

So amazing- it is beyond mere words. The work being done here is astounding and funded 100% by visitor fees and public donations.

This Aquarium is awesome!! There is a salt water & fresh water buildings, lots of different fish & animals to see. The tanks looked clean/animals looked healthy & happy. Definitely a fun spot to check out!

Mote is a smaller aquarium in comparison to other aquariums that I've been to. I would describe it as a kitschy like aquarium. However, there's many activities for children to partake in. We came on a rainy day, but so did everyone else. Plan accordingly as some days will be busier that others especially in the summer time. I'm looking forward to coming back here to see the new aquarium when they finish building it.

I love aquariums and finally got the opportunity to go to the Mote Marine Aquarium! We have been to Sarasota numerous times, but never splurged on the Mote- for $30 per admission ticket, that was always a bit steep and we always had numerous things to go explore in the area. It should be noted- most things in this area are more expensive than the rest of the state. We went with my daughter and family- they bought annual passes and took us with under their passes. SCORE! This aquarium is divided into 2 main building complexes and they have a third aviary section at the midway between the walk. The 2 aquarium buildings are about a block apart- be aware in case of bad weather, and the aviary does close in the case of bad weather too. It was horrible rain on the drive down but cleared just as we got to the Gulf Coast line. The center has all sorts of exhibits- Sharks, stingrays, reef animals, sea turtles, manatees and more. I did enjoy the above tank view of the sharks- seeing them glide their fins out of the water. The manatee tank was also very cool. I wanted more for the sea turtles- I am thinking it was a rehabilitation tank, because there wasn't a lot of room and didn't look very deep. I've been to other aquariums and love seeing sea turtles in large tanks swimming with other fish- it's usually my favorite at any aquarium. On the flip side- the otter enclosure was fabulous- 2 level with a slide for the little critters to play. This wasn't my favorite of the aquariums I have been to so far, but it was still a very fun day spent with family.

Even during a hurricane, this Mote's was amazing, and i would recommend them to everyone. Lots to learn, and you can tell everyone is well taken care of! Wheelchair accessible and has elevators. There is a cafe to enjoy some food, and a second building that's across the way. Be mindful the parking is very limited by the second building!

PLEASE VISIT I'm so appreciative that this fun & educational experience is affordable and relatively close to home. Conservation is so important!! Everything was great, go alone, bring the kids, whatever. My only concern is that a lot of the tanks seem small and overcrowded..I'm not a professional or anything, but many of the larger fish and sharks were pacing/glass surfing and some of the smaller fish were just packed into little tanks. I was also a bit concerned about the octopus not having enough enrichment. Just some concerns for whoever runs the place, but I what you're doing is great, thank you!!

This is a fantastic way to spend an afternoon. Large tanks evenly spaced allows for leisurely viewing of an impressive array of aquatic beauty. Yellow Moray eel, logger head turtles, cuttlefish, octopus manatee, leopard shark black tipped reef shark, pink flamingos, alligator hammer heads, dolphins , Lion fish , sea otters , seahorses. In comparison to some of the other aquariums in the nation, this is pretty good. But the research that's done here is invaluable to oceanic understanding and preservation.

Great stop during our spring break trip. Informational and indoor outdoor was fun. Learned a lot and spent over three hours here. Great family spot if your near lido key.

Fantastic experience for all ages. Tons to see and learn. We especially appreciated the variety of coral reef, and information shared by one of the volunteers named Ken Rear. His knowledge and enthusiasm for sea life, and the most aquarium were infectious. We learned so much during our visit and it was hands-down our favorite aquarium we've ever been to. Highly recommend.

This place was so amazing, I can't wait to visit again next time. There's so many animals to see and lots to learn here. It's the perfect place to take little ones and the staff is very friendly. There's multiple touch tanks as well. It is part inside and part outside so you definitely still want to go when the weather is good. There's 2 buildings and requires a bit of walking. The path was clearly labeled and we got our stroller around just fine. Highly recommend!

This is a nice little aquarium located just before Longboat Key outside of Sarasota, Florida. The exhibits are located in two separate buildings and you can buy admission at either entrance. A portion of the exhibits are outside (more open air) as well. Exhibits heavily focused on local marine life and Florida marine life of native to a different area of Florida. We saw a manatee, river otters, several species of sharks, turtles, alligators, and fish galore. My toddler enjoyed the small playground and turtle tunnel. I thought she'd like the touch pool but no splashing was allowed so we quickly left. This activity takes about two hours or less depending on how much time you spend in different areas. I'd recommend if you have young kids, older ones may get bored.

Nice little aquarium where you can get an up close look at several species of sea life. They have an alligator, otters, reef sharks, nurse sharks, seahorse, stingrays, and many other fish. There was also a few areas where you could touch certain sea life such as sea urchins and smaller sharks. There were also laboratory areas where you may be able to catch them helping turtles, coral, and other sea life. Definitely worth the visit.

We were looking for something to do for a few hours and decided to check out Mote and I'm glad we did! There are indoor aquariums with fish, seahorses, jelly fish, etc. Then go outside and see large sharks and then you can touch/pet stingrays, starfish, and more. Take a break and eat in the diner or shop in the gift shop before crossing the parking lot and checking out the aviary. This is full of rescued and rehabbed birds. We loved the owls, macaws and larger species. Finally cross the street and check out the huge sea turtles, two giant manatees and the cutest little otters! We loved watching them run around. There are amazing volunteers everywhere. They answer your questions and give you more info. Truly a great touch, everyone there is so happy! We liked it so much we got a membership so we can come back multiple times over the next year. We love the work they're doing in this area!

Cute aquarium! 3 buildings in total. You will need to walk to each building. Lots to see. Great for kids! Debit/credit accepted. Free tickets for active duty military. Adult tickets were $29 when we went. Would recommend.

This is a wonderful place that is doing a lot for our oceans and sea life. Everyone should visit and learn about sea life. This is a wonderful place to take children and there are many interactive things for them to try and learn from. A great staff that will answer questions and work and play with your children. I think I was expecting more. Thought i would of saw dolphins, and more sharks. What i was told is that the fish that are there are rescues, which is great they give them a home. I also found the complex a bit confusing to walk around. kept thinking i was missing something or went ten wrong way. a few times I ended up within the halls of their offices. Can have a better path to find exhibits and walk thru then.

I had a good time at the aquarium. it's a conservation heavy (yay) marine research and aquarium center, so there is a lot of age appropriate information. The exhibits are at kid level, with little windows almost on the floor for the turtle tanks, which was super cute. There are a couple of touch pools and agriculture displays that were neat. I liked the big turtles best - they have some rehabilitated turtles that aren't able to return to the wild due to injury, but live peacefully at the aquarium eating shrimp. They also have a little baby turtle hospital for any that need a little help after hatching. Mote assists in the local turtle population conservation efforts and according to their display, the population has been increasing! There are 2 buildings, with a cute little turtle and manatee painted pathway between. it was a fun activity for adults and kids.

Well organized and educational. We learned a lot, and especially enjoyed the otters! Small enclosures for many of the animals.

Mote, Marine, Laboratory and aquarium is by far one of my favorite locations to visit in Florida. It's not giant, it's not flashy, it doesn't have the tank size of New Jersey's, adventure, aquarium, or Baltimore, harbor, aquarium, or Atlanta but the people that work there are friendly, informative,lol, and overall some of the kindest to interact with. While it is a little expensive to get into, they have a reciprocal program with many other aquariums in zoos around the country so you can often get in for half price. They are in the midst of preparing to upgrade the facilities and move the aquarium aspect to the entirely new location Relegated the Sarasota area location to pure research and laboratory. If you happen to be in the Sarasota or longboat key area of Florida, stop by mote Marine. You won't regret i

Mote Marine, along with Loggerhead Marinelife Center and Manatee Lagoon, just finished offering a weeklong half-day virtual wildlife camp for kids. Earlier this summer, they offered the same format of one with a more marine focused topic. They also offered a virtual camp last summer. These camps were 100% free to sign up for and for kids anywhere to attend. I just want to say thank you for organizing such an incredible resource. My kids - and, perhaps some adults in the room, ahem- thoroughly enjoyed learning so much about marine life, science, oceans, and wildlife. Not every single activity was that engaging, but considering it was free, the entire concept was pretty awesome. One of the coolest things, is that my kids asked questions live and real scientists answered them. While I was already familiar with Loggerhead and Manatee Lagoon, both of whom are located in my home County, I had only briefly heard of Mote. However, Mote Marine's presentations were BY FAR AND ABOVE the most professional, engaging, interesting, and technically savvy presentations that were offered. My kids were so engaged each time Mote came on the screen. It was clear that they have invested time and money into learning how to use virtual resources and make these kind of presentations. Thank you, Mote, for making my kids super excited about science, answering their questions,, and putting the time and effort into these camps. Now, we have Mote bookmarked to visit someday. THANK YOU!

We had a great family visit! Very informative volunteers. Unique marine life like axolotl, sea turtles and serval different species of sharks, jelly fish and rays. Indoor and outdoor areas. The outdoor areas are well shaded and there are big fans to help breaking away from the heat.

We decided to take advantage of our membership and see the upcoming shark exhibit that opens to the public tomorrow- great photos and interesting info on sharks and their species. The last time I had visited Mote it consisted of 2 buildings with tanks- things have changed. The facilities are both kid and grownup friendly now. Most of the staff was helpful with a few exceptions but maybe the hot weather and crowd was to blame. A worthwhile visit if in the Sarasota area to acquaint you to Florida's natural sea habitat.

My family and I were vacationing in Bradenton, FL and our Air Bnb host recommended this place to bring the kiddos. We took a whole day and went to Sarasota Jungle Gardens and this place. Hands down the Mote Aquarium was 100 times better than the Jungle Gardens; and cheaper! They had a nice combo of indoor and outdoor exhibits to look at. There's like three separate buildings to go into. Lots of things were interactive and the staff was very friendly and knowledgeable. I definitely learned lots of new things. They have the main building then following the squid stamps you get to the indoor kids play area. And then following the manatee and turtle stamps you get to that exhibit. Definitely you can make a day of this place. The kids had a great time and it was easy to navigate. Would recommend if in the area.

Great place to visit for all ages. There are many exhibits to see! The shark tank was a favorite.

Great day ! Loved the presentation of the aquarium tanks, and the descriptions. There were volunteers who would share even more information about the fish, coral, sea life with you as you went thru the entire aquarium I learned a lot! It's interactive, great for adults and kids. Highly recommended this as a must go to activity!

This is the perfect stop to view the marine life up and close. Well worth every penny spent on having the chance to touch baby stingrays and other marine life. There are two viewing areas. The first building is dedicated to all kinds of fish. The second building which sits at the other end of the parking lots houses the manatees, alligators and the cute sea otters.

What an awesome aquarium! We thoroughly enjoyed our visit and wish we had more time. You can easily spend hours in there. There's so much to see and explore. It's interactive, too. It's a lot bigger than it looks from the outside. The space looks clean and well kept. The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable. There's a team member in almost every station, ready to share their wealth of knowledge. We learned a lot! We got to "touch" certain animals and event watch the octopus feeding which was fascinating. Make sure you hear the story about the sneaky octopus! Just across the street is the rehab center where you'll find the sea turtles, otters, manatees and more. Such a great experience. Highly recommend for families!

Really special aquarium. I especially loved seeing the manatees up close. Just wonderful!

A wonderful aquarium that features more than 100 amazing marine animals. Right now, tickets must be purchased online. The admission price is $24 for adults and $18 for children. Tickets include admission to the main building, the Rehabilitation Center, and the ancient seas exhibit. The main building includes different varieties of fishes, invertebrates, and sharks. The jellyfishes and sharks were my favorites. In this section of the aquarium, you can pet the stingrays. Their rehab center is dedicated to the study and rehabilitation of sea turtles. Here you can also meet otters, alligators, and manatees. The Ancient Sea Exhibit is a small room containing replicas of skeletons of extinct marine animals. Because of COVID-19, the gallery and one of the gift shop is currently closed. I was highly impressed by this aquarium. I would definitely visit again. 5 stars.

This place was a lot of fun! I loved how they are staggering the entry times, allowing it to feel less crowded inside. They are very strict on their mask policy, and have hand sanitizer stationed all over. The experience was brought on by a 4th grade Social Studies project that interested my 4th grader and he wanted to visit. Once he realized he would get to see a Megalodon Jaw replica, he was sold! They have a virtual reality experience where you have the option to pick from a series of different videos. The cost is $6 for non-members and $5 for members. New this weekend was the Wild Kratts exhibit. This allows kids to get a bit of hands on fun from everything between microscopes and controlling a tentacle moving an object back and forth. A short walk across the street takes you to see the rehabilitation center where they have sea turtles, manatees, sea otters and more! Overall, this is a great place to visit with kids. We would definitely do this again!

Such an educational and cool place to visit with or without kids! My nephews really enjoyed the virtual reality experience. There's so many exhibits and it was really nice to see all the rescued mammals and birds. Definitely worth every penny.

The Mote is an excellent place to spend some time enjoying sea life and learning more. Separated between 2 buildings we spent about 2 hours enjoying the sea life and reading the displays. Very educational. Also - they also have 4 spots with free electric vehicle charging!

I really think this is a great place. If you have young children and if you just want to get a break from the beach or the heat you can come here or if it's raining you can come here and just see about the life ecosystem of this part of Florida. They do have some sharks you'll learn about. They have a couple manatees you'll learn about. If you don't already know. Other than that that's about it. It's not going to take a full day to see everything. You can see everything in a couple hours. Other than that that's it. Understand that the manatee facility aquarium is quite a walk away from the main area. It's not a bad walk, but if you're limited and mobility, iit's a walk. It's a good walk. Other than that, check it out, you might like it!

Super cool little aquarium with all types of marine life. Loved seeing the manatee and the otters! Was a little bummed because they claimed to have a crocodile and they indeed do not but they had plenty of other cool animals and quite a few areas where you could touch some of the animals. Definitely worth a visit!

Five stars plus! Wasn't expecting much, but we needed an indoor place to stay cool with our child. Great aquarium displays. Very educational. The youth staff were knowledgeable and pleasant to interact with. It was fun to see the manatees up close! The only "warning" is that there is a lengthy path between the shark exhibit and the manatee/turtle exhibit. The path is well marked, but some individuals may benefit from moving their car parking spot.

I want to start this post off by saying I LOVE animals and always love supporting animal organizations and causes, so I was happy to get to stop by a new aquarium. This Laboratory & Aquarium was on the smaller side, but I definitely still saw wild life I haven't seen in awhile (if ever). Definitely worth a stop off.

Accreditation: AZA 501c3 nonprofit My friend was an intern and they're offered free admission for guests (if this seems like a super nice opportunity for interns, note that the internships are unpaid despite the cost of living in the area). I stopped into town quickly to visit and she offered to get me in to see the place she works but couldn't be at the gate with me because her work day started at 7:30am and they don't open until 9:30am (her position required her to be off site that day). She left me with an identifier of herself to try and help with this last minute situation. I recognize that this situation isn't ideal, so staff refused to accept this and I can honestly understand that aspect, them turning me away isn't the reason I'm giving MOTE a single star. I'm giving them a single star because of the work culture I experienced when bringing up an intern. Both of the staff members I interacted with specially said "we can't do that for an iNtErN" and showed such a lack of respect for the young people who work unpaid for this place just to try and get their foot in the marine animal field. I also work in this field and have literally never witnessed (first hand) a complete lack of care for the way interns were being discussed. Typically in this kind of situation I would've just then opted to pay to get in and it would've been fine but the disrespect being shown for interns left a horrible taste in my mouth and I will no longer be holding this place in any high regard whatsoever as a place to work. Interns are already underpaid in the animal care field, they shouldn't be disrespected as well. I also wanted to add that since I've been to this facility before for a Youth Ocean's Conference the aquarium itself is wonderful but heartbreaking to see that the support I saw for people interested in the field doesn't show outside of the conference setting

Poor customer service. Poor facilities. Enjoyable but absolutely not worth the costof the ticket. That sea turtle looks ill.

Nice aquarium with a lot to offer. I was going to be in the Sarasota area and was looking for something to do with my son. This place made the cut and it was a good experience. At $18 for the kids and $24 for the adults, it's a pretty good price considering. I bought the tickets online and it was a breeze entering. They have a lot of tanks and fish/animals. There's a lot to look at and read, some of which are very informative. I thought that the plastic bags in a tank near the various jellyfish was a good lesson. They have a few preserved creatures including a shark and a large squid. If you have younger kids with you, you might want to skip the dead squid display - impressive though that there was a squid that size. The place is a good overall size and they make the most with the space and do a great job at it. Just when you think it's over, you're instructed to walk basically across the street and slightly down the block for the manatees, otters, turtles, and more. Along the way there is a bird house for an additional charge, but no comments on that since we didn't go there. It looked fairly small however. The manatees are great. Staff was friendly. It was raining on the day we went, so in the second structure there are some spots where without a roof and we had to keep the umbrella. Not a big deal, but if it rains on the day you go be sure to carry an umbrella with you for not only the second half, but for the walk between buildings. Parking lot fills up quick. Some park on the grass, so use your judgement. You could do this place in about 3 hours, depending on how fast you are. I only purchased general tickets, but there is more to do and for members, there's the discounts involved. The gift shop is ok and priced about what you'd expected at an aquarium. We didn't eat anything, so no comments on the food or pricing. Overall a great aquarium and recommended if you're in the area.

It was great to entertain us as red tide ruined our trip plans. Wish it was a little more interactive as the cost was pretty high. Overall it was a nice way to entertain the kiddos.

Really cool place, but really crowded. It was raining the day we went, so I think everyone had the same idea. The manatees we're awesome! Being from NY, they aren't in aquariums around us. I would definitely recommend a visit! They also had stingrays you could touch, as well as an area with starfish. There were also two tanks with sharks!

Really fascinating stuff here. I particularly enjoyed the local fauna, such as Florida gators and manatees. There's also a very intensive sea turtle exhibit, which features rehabilitating adults all the way down to newborns stretching their flippers for the first time. In particular, I loved how this aquarium stressed the importance of sea turtle preservation. Humans are the invasive species here, and our actions can affect these creatures in extremely harmful ways. This exhibit is very informative and raises awareness on how we can be conducive to the sea turtles' survivability. The biggest attraction may be the 135,000 gallon shark habitat. The cool ting is you can view it from either above or below. It's kind of hard to make anything out from above, save for the dark, shadowy outlines of some unknown creatures, but it's a neat perspective nonetheless. Lastly, the one other exhibit that I truly loved with all my heart was "Otters & Their Waters." Basically you put three juvenile otters in a multi-level enclosure with a giant water slide, an expansive basin, and numerous toys, and let them do whatever the hell otters do. As it turns out, they play nonstop for hours on end. Overall I was pleasantly surprised by what this small-town aquarium had to offer. I think more aquariums should stress the preservation aspect as Mote does... it's fun to see exotic sea creatures, but we also need to save them and protect the habitats in which they live.

This aquarium is rescue and science. It will take less than 3 hours to visit. It is well worth it. The person checking the tickets at the main entrance was rude and embarrassing. I had tickets on my phone and when I approached the entrance she was off to the side talking to a family. I thought i had to enter the doors and someone would be there to scan the tickets. She stopped me and glared at me. I thought it was kind of weird. But overall, the aquarium staff is amazing and the experience is really good. The facility is clean. Mote does a lot for the Sarasota area.

Small but wonderful. Mote does great things to preserve and protect our oceans, fish and wildlife. Exceptional and knowledgeable staff. Excited for the new aquarium to be completed!

This is a great aquarium. I recommend the combo package with the boat/nature tour (really good and about 90 to 100 minutes in duration). The staff on boat really knowledgeable and super hands on for kids. The main aquarium is really cool. Great exhibits and the staff are super engaging. In many instances when talking among ourselves (we were overheard) a member of staff would come over and tell us all about it. Super nice touch Tip: don't forget to walk across the compound to the birds and the manatee/turtle exhibit which is tremendous. PRICE: a combo package for 3 adults was about $135 well worth it for a good 3 hours of educational fun.

Bottom Line: A nice aquarium featuring some interesting creatures and local favorites. When I was in college I spent a lot of time at one of the nation's best aquariums studying just about every animal for a zoology assignment. I think I did well in the class but that assignment resulted in aquarium burnout. As a result, I'm not easily impressed by aquariums but I really enjoyed my visit to Mote. Mote Aquarium effectively consists of two buildings - one houses the smaller fish exhibits and the other contains the large marine animals like turtles and manatees. The buildings are across the street from one another and each has its own gift shop. Of course it was great to get nose to nose with a Manatee but I also really enjoyed the cuddle fish, black and white clown fish and the huge spiny lobster. We arrived at 10am on a Friday and it wasn't crowded which was nice. We didn't look at everything (because of my aquarium burnout) so in total we were there about 75 minutes. Overall, this is a nice aquarium and I look forward to adding my new manatee ornament to my Christmas tree come December.

Worth every penny!! We are very impressed with the aquarium. All kinds of viewing angles for every age. Plus so much included make sure you go to all the included building.

Have to say I was pleasantly surprised. The main building isn't too large but the exhibits are beautiful and educational and their shark area is home to baby hammerheads, which I had never seen before. They also have small shark and ray petting areas, and have a separate outdoor manatee and turtle exhibit, which also has another aquarium walk though on the second floor. Had an amazing visit and would highly recommend to anyone else.

The Mote is a fantastic "small aquarium" that should be on every families bucket list when visiting the area. I've been there no less than 15 times over the last decade, and have always been pleased with the exhibits, animals (anything that lives in, on, or near the sea). Of note, they have a building dedicated to turtles and manatees. I could spend my whole day there just watching these beautiful creatures. Parents, there are two gift shops on site. The one in the main building is much better - so plan accordingly when going to the manatee exhibit.